10-4 Magazine March 2022

68 10-4 Magazine / March 2022 Trucking has definitely changed over the years. Back in the day, which many of us wish we would’ve been a small part of, was a time of brotherhood, camaraderie, and porch lights. Truckers did the deal to do what needed to be done – for the money and for the love of trucking. Names on the CB radio like Southern Shaker, Bootlegger, Cannonball, American Gigolo, Real McCoy and Dollar Bill, to name a few, weren’t just handles, but recognizable names to brothers and sisters of the highway where you knew you had a friend behind that mic. For some, those names may mean nothing, but for others, it is a trip down memory lane. A time when outlaw trucking was a thing, but it wasn’t mentioned much. Porch Light groups were big in the 70s and 80s, and you knew a driver was part of a group by the lights in their windshield. In 2020, I photographed a 1985 Pete 359 owned by Nick Black out of Canton, NC which was featured in our December 2020 issue. Prior to the article being printed, I was invited to join a group called “Porch Light ITA, WBO, OMW” – which surprisedme. This was a pretty cool group to be a part of because members were sharing old photos and trucking stories that grabbed my attention. The WBO (Wild Bunch of Outlaws) and the OMW (Oscar Meyer Weiner) groups were smaller groups by comparison to the ITA. The WBO ran red porch lights and the OMW ran green porch lights. There is only a small group of ITA members that are members of all three groups, including Virgil “Dixie Twister” Taylor and Gary “Shade Tree” Medford. The ITA (International Truckers of America) group started in the early 80s by Charlie “Carolina Road Runner” Beaver. There was a $10.00 membership fee, and the members ran white porch lights. The early board consisted of 14 members, as well as rules to be used as a guideline for all members. This group reached 1,000 members and held that number until October 2020 when the board voted to bring 26 new Special Feature: By Stephanie Haas members to the group. Nick “Scooter” Black (#1016), who I mentioned before, was one of those additional 26, along with David “No Count” Rogers (#1008), Alen “Hired Hand” Smith, Jr. (#1028), and David “Renegade” Meadows (#1031). All these truckers were part of the 2021 new group of members. Board members were a mix of for and against the addition of new members. It was believed new, younger members should be added to continue the legacy of LOVE OF TRUCKING Real McCoy & LeeAnn Bull Rider Hired Hand Scooter No Count